Just Moved to Amsterdam? Your First Week, Month and Year

Just moved to Amsterdam? This page puts our practical guides in the order you will need them.

Start with the first week, because registering your address and getting your BSN unlocks almost everything else.

Your first week

1. Register your address and get your BSN: one appointment at the gemeente gives you both, and no bank, payroll or health insurance works without them.
2. Check your residence permit: staying longer than 90 days from outside the EU needs one, and why you came decides which.
3. Get a Dutch phone number: banks, insurers and GP practices send codes by text, and some refuse a foreign number.
4. Open a Dutch bank account: a foreign card and IBAN tend to fail exactly when you need them, so get a Dutch debit card early.
5. Apply for DigiD: the one login for almost every government service, available once you have a BSN.
6. Pay for trams, metro and trains: tap in and out with a contactless bank card or phone, no OV-chipkaart needed.
7. Get on a bike: renting one takes about ten minutes while you decide whether to buy.
8. Do your first shop: the main supermarket chains, Sunday opening, bottle deposits and delivery.

Show all first-week guides (8 more)

• First 30 days checklist: the whole first month as a chain, from address to insurance.
• Gemeente procedures guide: what the city office handles and the five-day rule for registering.
• BSN number guide: what the nine-digit number is and where you will be asked for it.
• Residence permit guide: the IND routes for work, study and family, step by step.
• Banking in the Netherlands: why salary, rent and insurance all expect a Dutch IBAN.
• Internet and phone setup: the three network owners and the brands that rent from them.
• Public transport guide: trams, metro, free ferries to Noord and trains, and which to use when.
• Moving guide for expats: visa, registration and housing in the order that saves time.

Your first month

1. Take out health insurance: basic cover is compulsory once you live or work here, and you have four months from registering.
2. Register with a GP: the huisarts is your route to specialists, referrals and repeat prescriptions, so sign up before you are ill.
3. Set up energy, water and internet: you shop around for energy and internet, while water comes from one company.
4. Learn your bin rules: waste collection is set by your address, so check yours.
5. Consider home and liability insurance: the cover that protects a household day to day, beyond health.
6. Apply for the 30% ruling if you qualify: the deadline is four months from your first working day.
7. Check your first payslip: payroll errors are common, and our net salary calculator shows what should arrive.
8. Check your rental contract: most costly mistakes are visible in the document, and the rent points calculator shows the legal maximum rent.
9. Find a school place: primary places are allocated in one citywide matching round, not first come first served.
10. Claim childcare allowance: kinderopvangtoeslag makes daycare affordable for most working families.

Show all first-month guides (11 more)

• Healthcare guide: how Dutch healthcare works when you follow its order.
• Pharmacies: how an apotheek works and how to fill a prescription.
• English-speaking dentists: no GP referral needed, and what catches people out.
• Insurance expats actually need: beyond health, from renting to pets and bikes.
• Recycling guide: the four waste streams, the afvalpas and the collection app.
• Housing guide: the three rent regimes and what your landlord may charge.
• Rent increase rules: the caps for social, mid-rent and free-sector homes.
• Rental scam guide: never pay before you have seen the home and signed.
• Daycare and childcare: hourly rates, the subsidy and waiting lists.
• Parking permits: resident and visitor permits if you bring a car.
• Address change checklist: report a move from four weeks before until five days after.

Your first year

1. File your first tax return: tax is taken at source, but many newcomers are owed money and never claim it.
2. Expect the city tax bill: residents get one combined local tax assessment, and you can object to your WOZ value.
3. Swap your driving licence: a non-EU licence stays valid for 185 days after you register.
4. Start Dutch lessons: what courses cost and how long it takes to reach B1.
5. Build a social life: Dutch friends plan weeks ahead, and joining a sports club is one of the surest ways in.
6. Learn the unwritten rules: stay out of the bike lane, keep your voice down and pay by card.
7. Plan around the holidays: every Dutch public holiday, plus our annual leave planner for 2027.
8. Check whether you need the integration exam: it is required for permanent residence and naturalisation.

Show all first-year guides (6 more)

• Dutch driving licence guide: the exchange and the 185-day deadline.
• Ways to learn Dutch: what separates people who reach conversational Dutch.
• Making friends in Amsterdam: why one close friendship can matter most.
• First home buyer guide: the deadlines that cost buyers money.
• Cultural events guide: the shape of Amsterdam’s cultural year.
• Leaving Amsterdam: when you must deregister and what to cancel.

Find your neighbourhood

Not sure where to live? Take our neighbourhood quiz.

Then read the guide to each area: Centrum, the Jordaan, De Pijp, Oost, West, Zuid, IJburg, the Houthaven and neighbouring Amstelveen.

When you are ready to start learning, compare Dutch language courses in Amsterdam.

Keep up with the city

• What’s changing in Amsterdam: new rules, prices, parking and roadworks, each with its source.
• Amsterdam events calendar: the big days of the year, from King’s Day to the Light Festival.
• What’s On: every event in the city, day by day.